The present invention is directed to an improved pair of golf shoes and golf shoe soles.
Golfers typically wear specially designed golf shoes while playing on turf golf courses. The golf shoes are designed to fit comfortably on the golfer""s feet and provide good traction to prevent the golfer from losing his or her balance on the potentially slick surface of the course. Accordingly, the soles of the golf shoes may be provided with spaced apart cleats which project downwardly therefrom to provide solid traction with the turf even if the turf is wet. These cleats are typically made of metal or hard plastic and placed at various locations around the shoe sole.
One problem with conventional golf shoes is that the cleats may tend to resist pivotal motion of the golfer""s feet. As a result, the golfer""s foot motion, particularly during the back swing, may be inhibited or altered. The power and accuracy of the golfer""s swing may be reduced, and the golfer""s game may suffer accordingly. Another problem with conventional golf shoes is that the shoes may not provide the proper balance of traction and stability which would permit the same pair of shoes to be used on both wet turf and a more rigid surface, such as a solid floor.
In brief, the present invention provides a pair of golf shoes and golf shoe soles with improved performance and usability both on and off the golf course. In a preferred embodiment, a pair of golf shoes having traction members arranged differently on one sole than the other is provided. One of the soles accordingly tends to restrict pivotal motion of the golf shoe to which it is attached, while the other sole tends to allow pivotal motion.
In one embodiment, the pair of soles comprises first and second soles, each having a heel portion, a toe portion forward of the heel portion, a first edge extending between the heel and toe portions, and a second edge extending between the heel and toe portions opposite the first edge. The pair of soles further comprises a plurality of traction members, each elongated along a traction member axis. The plurality of traction members includes at least one first traction member connected to and depending from the first sole. The traction member axis of the first traction member is generally transverse to at least one of the first and second edges of the first sole. The first sole further includes at least two second traction members connected to and depending therefrom. The traction member axes of the second traction members are aligned generally parallel with at least one of the edges of the first sole and a number of second traction members is greater than a number of first traction members so as to resist pivotal motion of the first sole relative to the ground. The soles further include at least one third traction member connected to and depending from the second sole. The traction member axis of the third traction member is aligned generally parallel with at least one of the edges of the second sole. The second sole further includes at least two fourth traction members connected to and depending therefrom. The traction member axes of the fourth traction members are generally transverse to at least one of the first and second edges of the second sole and a number of fourth traction members is greater than a number of third traction members to allow pivotal motion of the second sole relative to the ground
In a further aspect of this embodiment, the traction members comprise a plurality of spaced apart traction elements, each traction element being elongated alone the traction member axis. In one embodiment, the traction members have a tapered cross-sectional shape when cut by a plane generally perpendicular to the traction member axis. The tapered shape includes a narrow portion spaced away from the sole to which the traction member is connected.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heel portion of the sole includes two spaced apart traction elements, each traction element being elongated along an axis which is generally aligned with one of the edges of the heel portion. The heel portion further includes cleat members intermediate the traction elements. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the cleat members have a generally rounded cross-sectional shape when cut by a plane generally perpendicular to the heel portion.
The invention further provides a method for controlling motion of a golfer""s feet. In one embodiment, the method comprises coupling at least one first elongated traction member to a first foot of the golfer. The first elongated traction member is elongated generally transverse to an edge of the first foot. The method further comprises coupling a number of second elongated traction members to the first foot of the golfer, the second elongated traction members being elongated generally parallel with an edge of the first foot and the number of second elongated traction members being greater than a number of first elongated traction members. The method further comprises coupling at least one third elongated traction member to a second foot of the golfer, the third elongated traction member being elongated generally parallel with an edge of the second foot, and coupling a number of fourth elongated traction members to the second foot, the fourth elongated traction members being elongated generally transverse to an edge of the second foot, the number of fourth elongated traction members being greater than a number of third elongated traction members. The method still further includes engaging the elongated traction members with the ground when the golfer swings a golf club, to resist pivotal motion of the first foot and allow pivotal motion of the second foot.